Meet Our Collaborators: Kathleen Ong

The Pivot Six team is made of up digital strategists living and working from all corners of the globe. Over the years, we've mastered the art of running a thriving, fully remote agency and we wanted to introduce you to a few of our key creative collaborators who contribute to our success.

Kathleen Ong is a self-professed “dream chaser”...but she’s pretty good at catching dreams too! At Pivot Six, we prefer to call her a start-up specialist.

Case in point: Wantering, the fashion search engine startup where she was the Director of Marketing and Communications, was acquired by Clique Media Group less than three years after she started working for them.

She then served as the Director of Public Relations at Everything But The House, an online estate sales retailer (also a start-up), where she scored media hits on Sports Illustrated, Forbes, NBC News, and many, many more.

If that wasn’t enough, she then founded Type A PR to help start-ups and early-stage brands craft authentic, creative communications strategies. Oh, and she also joined the team at online retailer Boomdash to lead their marketing and PR.

And these are only pieces of her story. We don’t even have time to talk about her epic move to New York, or the manifestation of her fashion dreams come true.

Kathleen is not only a believer in doing what you love -- she’s a literal case study in making it work. If you want to learn how to get sh*t done, meet your inspiration now.

Kathleen At A Glance

Specialties Include: Creating memorable brand stories, running PR for startups, and a knack for growing audiences on social

You wear your love for New York loud and proud. What do you love most about NYC and how does this impact your work?

I love the energy of New York the most. I describe it like a heartbeat on the streets. I always say that New York is a place that everyone chooses to live; you have to accept a lot of the challenges and hardships that come with it, otherwise it's not the place for you. I think this energy makes me more productive, efficient and driven.

Your greatest achievement or proudest moment?

When I was a kid in middle school and high school, I used to go to the mall and take free travel brochures from the travel agencies. I would cut out photos of the Empire State Building and tape them to the inside of my locker. It was my shrine to New York. In 2017, I was hired on to lead brand marketing for a kids e-commerce site and my office was in the Empire State Building. I'd say my proudest moment was getting into the elevator on the first day of work and feeling like I had achieved a childhood dream.

You are a career hustler. You've worked in PR, fashion, tech and with all kinds of startups. What resources (i.e. books/podcasts/websites) would you recommend to others who want to follow up in your hustling footsteps?

I would recommend absorbing as much information as possible from those who have done it before or are doing something new. I'm a big fan of reading articles on Medium: my favorite is "The Risk Not Taken", written by Andy Dunn, who is founder and CEO of Bonobos. There are so many startup/business podcasts and blogs that offer amazing advice and inspiration when you need it. Find the ones that speak to you and be religious about making time for them.

The advice you wish you received when you were young?

Worry less.

Photo Credit: @itsmekathleeno

Pop quiz: You can only visit 5 places in NYC for the rest of your life. What are they?

I went to Lisbon a few years ago and LOVED it. I would be very happy working there and eating Portuguese egg tarts.

How do you usually spend your days (and evenings)?

After work or in between, I make time to go to yoga several days a week. I enjoy going out to dinner with friends, catching a show or visiting a museum. There are also plenty of days where I just want to stay at home and hang out with my dog!

What is your favorite part of what you do for a living?

My favorite part of what I do for a living is telling stories, whether it is about a person, company or idea.

Why do you like collaborating with others in the marketing world (e.g. Pivot Six) versus completely working solo?

Collaborating with friends is amazing! You get a chance to share ideas and thoughts with like-minded people, which helps you stay motivated and inspired.

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Collaborating with friends IS amazing. We love collaborating with you Kathleen.